Charles kirchhof



@uiten gratta jsttrnt ffice.

an enlarged one, a useful apparatus for the productionof the sound of a gun.

CHARLES maenner, 'or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

BLAST-ecn'.

stipv gentillement it im tipa tetters prima nu mating gni titte time.'

TO ALI.- WHOM IT MAY CON CERN Be it known that-I, CHARLES Kntcnnor, of the city of Newark, county of Essex, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new device, termed the Blast-Gun, imitating the sound of firearms and propelling objects. v v

The nature of myinvention consists in 'the construction of a device and the use of means of producing the sound and propelling practice'of fire-arms 'at a very small` expense, and,- at the same-time, without doing any possible harm, combining the twooilices, as being (in a diminutive form)la very amusing toy'for children; in

The principle of my invention consists in producing the sound by bursting a'. sheet of some materiai hermetically covering the aperture of an apparatus, by means of compressed air, or any othergas contained in the apparatus, so as to act with a power increasing suiiiciently as to cause its final bursting, and, by doing so, to

permit the air to escape rapidly, imitating the report of the firm-arm, and propelling, at the same time,sundry objects', if desired. i v

For materials to be used, I propose hard and well-sized paper, bladder, catgut, mica, isinglass, or foil of gelatine; thin plates of ivory, bone, 'hard India rubber, tough' leaves of trees and flowers, vor any other equivalent of similar elasticity and frangibility and form. l I

For compressing the air and gases by mechanical means, I use a common airpu rnp,` with a reservoir, if so desired; for instance, when tobe used as a toy, a pop-gun may answer, but, in case the compression has to be- -caused by 'chemical action, the apparatus consists i'n 'a gas-generator, say such as are used in 'the manufacturing of soda-water.

Thus the air or gas has,A in both ways, no other chance of escape, unless it bursts the paper or its equivalent. The arrangement of placing the paper` or its equivalent so as to prevent the Aescape of gas orarfrom any 'of the apparatus used is somewhat similar to that of the breech-loading=gun or revolver, allowing, instead of the cartridge to be inserted, the paper or its equivalent to be placed at the end of the barrel or its equivalent.

The following simple construction of a. complete `apparatus will illustrate the principle-.aud use of'my invention.

'Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus.

Figure 2 shows a section dividing the same along its axis. A f a represents a metal tube, made of tinned sheet iron, with a metallic ring, bfat its und; and the pistone, with the handle, d, is for compressing and forcing the air along the tube, through the aperture e e of the rings d' y Theplane of said ring is covered by a ring,` g, made of thin, soft India rubber, leather, or any equivalent, and upon which rests the sheet material, it, which closes the aperture e bythe pressure of a second ring, f. Said, ring is in continued connection with the metaliic ring b, 'and of the same size, and is pressed againstthe llatter by the action of the spiral spring 'a' acting against the lever-k, forming an additional part of the ring f, and serving to remove the ring ffrom the ring b temporarily, by pressing the lever t towards the tube'a, in order to insert thesheet i At the opposite side ofthe periphery of the ringfis a second hinge, l, keeping a long hoolx, m, which serves .to hold both rings close upon each other, when taking hold at thel projecting part, n, on the ring b, 'in rorder to compress the sheet 7L, to be bursted by the blast of ,the air forced through the' rings, and thus the combination .forming a. compact whole, giving the air or' gas no other chance of escape but through the-.instant removal of all that obstructsthe passage, causing a loud report. To increaseor change such report to sounds less di`s/ v agreeable, or to propel objects, I make an additional 'extension to the ring In the first case, said ring, ,in whatever shape it may be, serves as {mouth-pieceto 'said extensien, which may be shaped into a conical or other form, as, for instance, like that of a speaking-trumpet, iig. 2, o.

i In the second case, I edd a. cylinder, (fig. 1,) p, in which the object, q, maybe'placed and propelled after the sheet is 'bui-stad, in which case the latter serves as a. valve. v y i lSuppose'a. balloon of India rubber, r, a parachute, 5cc., made of light silky material, having a. mouth-piece, s, closely fitting on the cylinder, the compressed air of the pump or Vthe hydrogcnof' e generator will, after the .dischnrgg immediately inflate the object, ond blow it up into the air, according to the size and power of thc pump.

It is'obvious that the e'ect will be increased bythe size of the apparatus, the thickness ofl the material,

and the pressure of 4the air or gas. l p p Having now described my invention, I will proceed to vstelbc what I desireo secure by Letters Patent, viz:

1.1 claim thecombinction of a. sheet or plate, h, madevof the material us herein described, with un` apparatus for compressing air or gas, when said sheet or plate is secured hermeticelly to the' latter, by means of an arrangement allowing a. speedyremcvl and restoration of such'lsheets, in the monnerand for the purpose specified.

i 2. The peculiar construction and connection'of therparts bf g of the device, for securing the sheet, as 'set forth, 'y i 3. The extension p and '0, mode in the manner and for Vthe purpose specified.

` CHARLES vKnwiaulor.

Witnessesz Gusmvus Fmimrr, B. W. Farmen. 

